Salt Lake Community College broke ground June 1 on its
Westpointe Career and Technical Education Center near the Salt Lake City
International Airport. The Utah Legislature during its 2016 session approved
the $42.9 million needed to begin construction on the new facility, which is
expected to open in 2018.
“We’ve been working on this for five years,” said SLCC
President Deneece G. Huftalin. “To have us all assembled here to break ground
and to watch this new center rise up over the next 18 months or so is just
going to be remarkable.”
SLCC’s new center brings together technical education in
multiple trades integral to the long-term economic vitality of the Salt Lake
Valley. The 121,000-square-foot building provides space for collaboration with
industry partners in multiple fields. “We knew that we needed a better
facility, a more nimble facility, a facility that would really teach students
in an integrated flexible way,” Huftalin added. “It’s going to be beautiful.
It’s going to be high tech. And we want it to be iconic. We want people driving
south on I-215 to say, ‘What is that space? I want to be in that space.’ We
want it to be a symbol for career and technical education and the importance of
workforce in Salt Lake County. So, we’re exited to watch that happen.”
The center is intended to support current and future
training needs in a flexible, high quality space that will benefit the College
and surrounding community for decades. It will establish a high standard of
quality and functionality for future development of other facilities and
resources vital to Utah’s economic future.
Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser credited Huftalin
and her staff with helping to educate state lawmakers about the need for the
new facility. “We had the money this year, but there are many voices out there
who want that money,” Niederhauser said. “It was easy for us once the
Legislature understood the purpose of this building, because this is the future
of education, and not only in Utah but in the world. … This is the future for
workforce in the state of Utah.”
The expansion of Westpointe will benefit traditional
students acquiring new skills, incumbent workers enhancing their current
skills, transitioning workers reentering the workforce and underemployed
workers trying to improve their employability in high-growth areas. Utah
Speaker of the House Greg Hughes said investing in the new center represents
the need to prevent a shift in the economy. “I’m done with cheap socks and
outsourcing everything around the planet,” Hughes said to applause. “That’s not
what the United States is. We have a manufacturing sector. We have workforce.
We’re not going to become a service-oriented economy. … It’s not going to
happen and shouldn’t happen.”
Utah State Senator Luz Escamilla expressed thanks that the
center will be built in her district. “I think this is not only an economic
development issues, it’s really going to change the lives of many, many
individuals,” Escamilla said. “You will make things happen here. … To me, it’s
just changing lives for many working, poor families that are looking for a
better opportunity.” Utah State Rep. Sandra Hollins, who also represents the
area where Westpointe is located, thanked Huftalin and SLCC for the new center.
“It is part of my community’s vision for what we see and what direction we
would like to move in,” Hollins said. “I want to thank you for your investment
in our community and for your vision and for your leadership.”
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